Estimates range from about 10 – 90 million Native Americans inhabited America at the time of the European arrivals. They had lived in the land many, many years before the white man set foot on their soil. It is believed that during the ice age, they had traveled a land-bridge across the Bering Strait, from Siberia into what is now Alaska. They gradually migrated across the land and southward into Mexico and beyond. The name “Indian” was given them by Christopher Columbus who mistakenly believed he had landed in the Indies. Native Americans were a people who adapted well to their particular regions and made wise use of all natural resources available. They believed in respecting the land and the abundance of gifts it offered. They became proficient fishermen, hunters, farmed crops such as corn, and built homes with whatever available resources their territory offered. The Native Americans of the east coast met the new visitors from Europe in the 16th and 17th century with enthusiasm. Without their aid, the first waves of settlers would not have survived in the land they knew little about. But in time the Europeans disregarded all respect for the valued land and resources and instead displayed insatiable greed and arrogance. The Europeans pursued their intent to conquer this new continent with brutal attacks and invasion. Native Americans soon realized that the invaders would arrive in overwhelming numbers. Initially, the people of this land tried to co-exist with the Europeans. With all their intriguing gadgets, the white men brought deadly diseases to the Natives. Colonists and explorers brought measles, smallpox, cholera, yellow fever, and other devastating diseases. This drastically diminished the Native American population and annihilated entire villages. In 1890 warriors, women, and children alike were ferociously slaughtered by the U.S. Cavalry. The U.S.A. government began Relocation Programs and the now famous Trail of Tears, a march during which hundreds of Cherokees died from starvation and illnesses. The Native American peoples were not only reduced in number but taken from their homes, stripped of their customs, and even forbidden to speak their native languages. Their children were taken from them and sent to schools to “civilize” them, forced to abandon every aspect of their heritage. In 1876, the U.S. government forced them to live on ‘reservations’ where the majority still reside today.
Native Americans
Estimates range from about 10 – 90 million Native Americans inhabited America at the time of the European arrivals. They had lived in the land many, many years before the white man set foot on their soil. It is believed that during the ice age, they had traveled a land-bridge across the Bering Strait, from Siberia into what is now Alaska. They gradually migrated across the land and southward into Mexico and beyond. The name “Indian” was given them by Christopher Columbus who mistakenly believed he had landed in the Indies. Native Americans were a people who adapted well to their particular regions and made wise use of all natural resources available. They believed in respecting the land and the abundance of gifts it offered. They became proficient fishermen, hunters, farmed crops such as corn, and built homes with whatever available resources their territory offered. The Native Americans of the east coast met the new visitors from Europe in the 16th and 17th centuryLink to the Natives Americans
American history